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The much-awaited season of Made in Heaven has dropped. The Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur series sheds light on the complexities of relationships and is based on the backdrop of big fat Indian weddings. While promoting the show, writer-director Alankrita Shrivastava spoke to indianexpress.com and shared how the love they received from fans became a responsibility, more than pressure.
“The love from them (fans) was very palpable, as people were asking us about the second season. Yes, it was pressure but more than that it was a lot of encouragement. When we were writing and shooting the first season, it was like a shot in the dark. We didn’t know how people would react. But the love we got empowered and propelled us to dig deeper and explore more in season 2. Love was also a responsibility and a feeling of reassurance as well. The new season is more nuanced, layered, and grander. Apart from making it more spectacular, we also wanted it to be deeper, and more poignant. There’s more pain and sadness, at the same time, there’s more joy,” she shared.
The filmmaker added that they also wanted to give audiences more than they were expecting. “So not just guest characters, we have also added two more running characters, so that you get the core of season one yet there’s something fresh and interesting.” About balancing the grandeur and emotional moments of the show, Alankrita said that the endeavour this time was to look within.
She said, “What is it we feel, get moved by, the stories that we have heard, known, and feel the need to respond? It was about choosing stories and themes from a personal perspective, that we feel strongly about. We were also conscious to give audiences something new not just in terms of casting but what happens at the weddings. There was no need to set up and we could go straight into the characters and show what they feel or are in real life. It was also about peeling out layers off them.”
At the trailer launch of Made in Heaven 2, Zoya Akhtar mentioned how the season has been lensed through the women and LGBTQ community. Recently, while Barbie gained a thunderous response internationally, in India, there was quite a backlash from audiences. Referring to Zoya’s comments and criticism of Barbie, we wondered if society is ready to see cinema through women’s eyes.
Alankrita replied, “I think it’s more ready in some ways than before. We have made some progress but it’s a harder fight. We need to understand that basically popular culture has been shaped by men for decades. The percentage of women telling stories has been very minuscule. So the form of what is perceived as pop culture has existed through male eyes. So what we know, what we have learned is from the patriarchal gaze. The true shift can only happen when many more women are in powerful positions behind the camera. I always say until half of the films and shows that are being made are made by women, we don’t know what matters. And that is not going to happen in a lifetime. I do feel it’s a long way and in that perspective, Barbie is a huge cultural phenomenon. It’s a film about girls for girls, talking about women. It is like feminism 101. I think it’s interesting and I am not surprised it’s not doing well in India as it’s doing around the world.”
Apart from Alankrita Shrivastava, Made in Heaven 2 has been directed by Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Nitya Mehra and Neeraj Ghaywan.
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